The remainder of the group finished breaking down their camp and walked towards the far exit of the cavern, delving deeper into the dungeon. Faint clang of metal and yell echoed from branching hallways along the path.. They were headed further into the red zone.

“I guess we’re pretty close to a few other guild teams,” Elijah said as they all collectively winced at the sound of a man’s scream getting cut short. “Doesn’t sound like they’re having the best time.”

“Let’s avoid them,” Avery said. “No need to get caught up in others' troubles.”

“I do feel a bit bad for them,” David said with a frown. “But I don’t think we’re supposed to interfere much with what anyone else is doing. That could get us in trouble, or they could think we’re trying to poach their loot and attack.”

“More importantly,” Elijah said as another man’s scream went silent. “You hear that?”

“Kind of hard not to,” David said.

“It doesn’t sound like the guild folk are winning,” Elijah said. “Does it?”

“Not really,” David said, looking confused. But Avery was already nodding her understanding. She’d probably figured it out before Elijah had.

“This was supposed to be an easy dungeon,” Elijah said. “But we had some serious trouble from the start with the frog, and that doesn’t seem to be a coincidence. This entire dungeon is probably just as difficult, and we aren’t the only ones dealing with that.”

David’s eyes widened. “That would mean the Goldwings got the dungeons classification wrong. That’s terrible! We need to tell them immediately.”

Elijah and Avery exchanged a glance.

“That won’t go too well,” Elijah said slowly. “Somehow, I think they already know.”

“You’re saying they did this on purpose?” David asked incredulously. “Why? There would be a riot if people found out that Goldwing was just sending its members to die.”

“That’s probably something we should try to find out,” Avery said. “But I think it’s got something to do with their contract. All of us are temporary, not full members. I suspect that that somehow gives us less rights than normal.”

“They’re sending low levels in here like a meat grinder, hoping we can thin it out or map it for them,” Elijah said.

“Pretty wasteful,” Avery observed. “Then again, it doesn’t seem like they’ve got any shortage of bodies. There were still a lot of people coming here.”

David looked sick. His skin was pale and clammy. He swallowed and cleared his throat. “Sh-should we perhaps follow Beck’s idea and leave? This is a lot more serious than I thought. We could be in incredible danger.”

“You’re welcome to if you’d like,” Elijah said. “Both Jane and I are pretty apt at being sneaky. Neither of us are in too much danger of getting spotted by most monsters.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“There are a lot of monsters with detection abilities,” David said. “What if there’s something stronger waiting for us?”

“Then the two of us will run,” Avery said. “Don’t remain out of some sense of duty. You’ve already done your part helping with the frog, which is more than we can say for Beck.”

“If Goldwing is sending low levels here knowingly, then I don’t think they would take too kindly to me running away,” David said. “I’ll stick around for now and try to help you two get farther. If things prove too difficult, though, I’ll have to turn back.”

“Works for me,” Elijah said. “Shall we, then?”

David nodded and the three of them set back off, continuing down the path.

They passed through winding tunnels, lit only by glowing moss, marking information down on the map as they went. The occasional shriek or roar from somewhere far off was the only thing to break the eerie silence.

Multiple times, the group was beset by small flutters of level one bats that flew from the ceilings. They couldn’t do much more than annoy and gave little experience, but the action was a welcome distraction during the walk.

Several times, they went down tunnels that ended in dead ends or traps. Elijah lost count of the pitfall traps that had been waiting for them at the end of hallways.

“You’d think whoever made this stupid thing would be a little more creative,” Elijah muttered. “Every time I see the end of a hall from now until I die, I’m going to assume there’s a pitfall there.”

“What I would have done is the exact same thing, but then stick a pitfall in the middle of a hallway near the end,” Avery said. “Nobody would expect it.”

“You’re evil,” David said, shuddering. He was the most wary of the traps, having nearly fallen into half a dozen of them before he learned that the ends of hallways were not safe.

They turned a curve and came to a thin stream crossing before a dark archway. The stream was murky and green, with tiny particles of moss floating within it and giving it a faint glow.

Elijah squinted at the door, but he couldn’t make anything out behind it. It was as if a black sheet hung from the arch, making vision impossible.

“Why is it so blasted dark over there?” Elijah asked.

“It’s a veil,” David said. “They’re usually there before stronger monsters or bosses. This doesn’t really feel like the end of the dungeon, though. The rest of the map also seems to go pretty far out, so I don’t think our path would end this early.”

“So we’ve got a strong opponent ahead, but it probably isn’t the end goal either,” Avery concluded. “And it’s safe to assume this is stronger than the previous monster because the frog didn’t have any sort of veil blocking the entrance?”

“Probably a safe assumption,” David agreed, rubbing his hands together in a mixture of nerves and excitement. “Are we still confident we’re doing this?”

“We’ll be pushing on,” Elijah said. “It’s up to you if you want to join us or not. It’s your life, not ours.”

“Right, right,” David said. “I just wanted to make sure. I’m with you both.”

“Then let’s go,” Elijah said. “Jane, strategy?”

“What do you think I am, a prophet?” Avery asked. “I don’t know what we’re fighting. I can’t do anything without knowing what we’re up against aside from say David will take the front and we’ll support him, looking for an opening. Here, let me try something.”

She sat down and leaned against the wall. Mananite pooled in her hands moments before she went limp. A few seconds later, she blinked and stood up, pursing her lips.

“I can’t get the eye through the veil. It’s blocking me,” she whispered to Elijah.

“Magic can’t pass through it, if you were trying to do something like that,” David said. “We have to go in ourselves.”

“Then I suppose we don’t have a choice,” Elijah said. “Shall we?”